Jennifer Lopez has spoken up about her split from husband Marc Anthony for the first time. In the September issue of Vanity Fair Magazine, the American Idol judge insists filing for divorce after seven years was a very complicated decision.

“This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to face,” Lopez told Vanity Fair. “I really wanted this family to work. That was my biggest dream, and I worked hard at it. We both did. Sometimes it doesn’t work – and that’s sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love…It’s still my biggest dream.”

The 42-year-old, who tried to balance work, children and marriage, says things got “increasingly harder,” especially after she gave birth to twins Max and Emme and went back to work.

“I went on tour with him a few times in the first few years of our marriage, and we did a film [El Cantante] together. It’s hard, and we’re figuring it out. It’s tough,” she says about the split. “And, everything is ramping up in a way. Like I said, we had the first three years of our marriage just for us. I wasn’t working, it was mainly about him. Then we got pregnant. Then it became about the kids. And then I started working again.”

On why she and Marc ended their marriage, the songstress pointed out, “Sometimes we don’t realize that we are compromising ourselves. To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself – if I stay, then I am not doing the right thing for me. I love myself enough to walk away from that now.”

The “On The Floor” hitmaker, who still believes in love after three failed nuptials, acknowledge that “marriage is tough.” She adds, “It’s not going to be perfect…It’s definitely challenging.”

But don’t expect Lopez to be single for too long. The What To Expect When You’re Expecting star insists she’s “a hopeless romantic and passionate person,”

Nonetheless, Lopez noted, “I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer.” She added, “We actually work great together, and he was always very supportive. Together we could make magic – and we did. He